That’s History

When a day is done, whether good or bad, it immediately becomes history. One of the things about history is that you can’t go back and change it; nor can you go back and relive it.

As far as history goes, we all learn important dates in school. In fact we learn more dates than we can ever remember. Sometimes our teachers help us devise tricks to remember and with a little rhyme, we might always remember a date. “In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” How could I ever forget that date?

That’s history class. I always enjoyed history, outside of the date thingy. History is stories...important stories...about events that shape us now, although most school kids think history is boring. The reason it is boring to kids is because the rich stories of the past are reduced to facts and dates, and some of those are presented in a biased and controversial manner. It is interesting to hear that sometimes important events are skipped in the history that children are taught today.

Each of us has a personal history with dates that stick in our minds to be re-examined annually. We have birth dates, death dates, anniversaries, graduations, and a myriad of other events not only to mark time, but also to remember. Is it any wonder that with all these dates stuck in our heads, buried deep inside our brains, that we sometimes forget an appointment or a loved one’s birthday?

Today’s date takes me back to a day twenty-three years ago when I saw my dad leave this world. It was on the anniversary of his own dad’s death. I called my mom tonight and we talked about a lot of things before she brought up the date. I knew it was on our minds from the first “hello.”

Our brains are so complex that we can’t even comprehend all that goes on between our ears. I can’t visualize how many a billion is whether I’m talking about dollars or nerve cells in my brain. Understanding my brain would be a lot like understanding how I can write words on a keyboard and have this computer take those words and allow me to put them on the Internet where anyone can read them. Perhaps, as perplexing is to comprehend how anyone can totally understands how that process actually works.

Historical facts we learned, and our own personal history, is stored in our brains. We have much more stored in our brains than we can ever retrieve. If you are like me, you know it’s there, but can’t retrieve it at the moment you want it. For instance, if you are playing a game of Trivial Pursuit and you know the answer, but can’t remember what it is until immediately after the time is up. Worse yet, you need to know an important piece of information and instead of remembering it at the crucial time, you remember it in the middle of the night.

Memory and history are two parts of the same thing. When two people share a history, and Alzheimer’s subtracts that connection, it is a loss for both. Our page in history is our life story, and we want that story to be action packed, suspenseful, and with a glorious ending. With personal history, the dates are not nearly as important as the stories. The only test in life, is a test of self.

Copyright (c) September 2013 by L.S. Fisher

http://earlyonset.blogspot.com

NIH & NIA Fulfill $45 Million Pledge

Earlier this week, Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) fulfilled his promise to Alzheimer’s advocates to designate $40 million from his 2013 budget for Alzheimer’s research. I was one of more than 700 advocates at the Alzheimer’s Association Advocacy Forum, where Dr. Collins made the announcement that he was taking this unique step to show the NIH’s commitment to finding a cure for a disease that has baffled scientists for decades.

During his keynote address on April 23 at the forum, Dr. Collins said, “I so wish it could be more, but I hope you hear in this kind of a commitment the way in which we at NIH see this as an opportunity and responsibility. We also hope that moving forward we can put medical research back on the stable track that is needed in order to support the research and the researchers.”

The story in last week’s New York Times and USA Today both report that an additional $5 million has been designated by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to provide support for innovative clinical trials.

Among the trials being supported through these additional funds is the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU) trial at Washington University, St. Louis. Dr. Randy Bateman is the team leader. I met Dr. Bateman several years ago when he accompanied Missouri advocates on our visits with our legislators at the Alzheimer’s Forum in Washington, D.C. Hearing firsthand the possibilities of research to find therapies or a cure for early onset Alzheimer’s is encouraging in a way that reading about it cannot touch. Dr. Bateman is passionate about his work, confident, and optimistic that a cure can be found for the hereditary form of Alzheimer’s that can strike during early adulthood.

The APOE4 trials being conducted by Drs. Eric Reiman and Pierre Tariot at the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix will be fully funded in 2013. Several other trials are being funded to move them forward. An Allopregnaolone Regenerative Therapeutic study at the University of Southern California will evaluate the safety and tolerance of a natural brain steroid to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Other studies will analyze data collected from volunteers to identify promising therapies, test existing drugs currently used for other conditions for effective treatment of Alzheimer’s, and treatment based on targeting the immune system.

In a letter I received as an Alzheimer’s Ambassador, Alzheimer’s CEO Harry Johns said that the fulfillment of NIH’s pledge is historic. “In addition to fueling much needed research toward treatment, prevention, and ultimately a cure, it shows the growing recognition that our cause is receiving at the nation’s highest levels.” Johns praises hundreds of Ambassadors and hundreds of thousands of advocates for making the case in Washington, D.C., and in communities nationwide. In the Alzheimer’s Association news release, Johns said, “These studies are examples of the quality research in the pipeline that needs further funding in order to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease by 2025 as outlined in the National Alzheimer’s Plan.”

Kudos to NIH and NIA for taking this first step toward prioritizing research for Alzheimer’s. Now, we need to keep pressing our legislators to take a proactive approach to finding a cure for this disease.

Alzheimer’s is an equal opportunity disease. It affects people without regard to race, religion, financial status, political party, intelligence, education, or any other classification you can think of. No human is immune to Alzheimer’s. It could happen to you or to someone you love if it hasn’t already.

It’s not a question of whether we can afford the research for Alzheimer’s, the real question is—can we afford not to fund research? Does it make sense to spend only $484 million on research that costs this country more than $140 billion annually in Medicare and Medicaid? Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, yet the funding is minuscule when compared to research spent on other diseases which received billions annually to fund research.

Some of us have spent years advocating for Alzheimer’s research dollars. It can be frustrating when funding is stagnant, or worse yet, the years funding was cut. By hanging tough, advocates have fought for treatment equity for those living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

This is not the time to rest on our laurels, it is the time to step up our advocacy while the focus is on research. The ultimate goal is a world without Alzheimer’s, and it can be done.

Copyright (c) September 2013 by L.S. Fisher

www.earlyonset.blogspot.com

Resources:

http://www.alz.org/documents_custom/nih_grant_announcment_final.pdf

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/18/alzheimers-disease-research-funding/2832865/

Wandering and Silver Alert Legislation

Jim wandered off many times after he developed Alzheimer’s. The first thing I learned as a caregiverwas immediate action was necessary to find him. I can’t count the number of times he disappeared. It only took a moment of inattention, or the misconception that someone else had eyes on him. Whether he disappeared mid-morning at a mall in Columbia, early afternoon at Silver Dollar City, late afternoon at the airport in Las Vegas, or from our home in the middle of the night, a search began immediately.

Unfortunately, wandering is a common problem for people with Alzheimer’s. Sixty percent of people with dementia will wander causing anxiety for the caregiver and creating a life threatening situation for the wanderer. Beginning the search immediately is key to finding your loved one safely. Statistics are on your side since ninety-four percent of the time they will be found within one and a half miles of where they disappeared.

You can take a few steps to help find your loved one. Alert neighbors of the situation and ask them to call you if they see your loved one walking alone. When searching, look in the direction of your loved one’s dominant hand—that is the direction they will usually go. Use Medic Alert+Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return or Comfort Zone (an electronic device). If you don’t immediately locate your loved one, call 911 and report them missing.

To ensure that when you call 911, the appropriate steps are taken to activate an immediate search, legislation should be in place. Legislation geared toward a Silver Alert should encompass all persons with dementia regardless of age. Jim had early onset dementia and would have been too young for the Silver Alert in states that identify only persons sixty-five or older with dementia. Missouri has an “Endangered Person Advisory” which could include anyone who may be in danger because of age, health, mental or physical disability, environment or weather conditions.

If you have a loved one with dementia, it is important to know the laws in your state and work toward legislation to make sure anyone with Alzheimer’s is included regardless of age. The law should also have provisions to activate the system based on a caregiver statement since many people wander before they have a formal diagnosis.

An important part of legislation is training for all emergency personnel. Proper training can make all the difference in finding the person with Alzheimer’s quickly using search techniques specifically tailored to persons with dementia. The immediate emphasis should be on a search of the local area. Quick and educated response is key to survival.

Silver Alerts are state programs designed specifically for vulnerable adults who have wandered. The search for adults is different than those used for AMBER alerts. AMBER alerts use statewide alerts which are not typically needed when searching for an adult wanderer. Also, since most wandering adults, like Jim, wander repeatedly, alerting everyone statewide each time an adult wanders could cause the public to become desensitized. This could do more harm than good by reducing the statewide response in cases where it is needed.

The goal is to find wanderers within twenty-four hours and reunite them with their families. The longer the person with dementia is gone, the chances of finding them unharmed is correspondingly diminished.

More than 125,000 search and rescue teams are activated each year to search for missing persons with dementia. This does not include the countless times that family members search for and find their loved ones. Kimberly Kelly with Project Far From Home estimates that as many as three million people with dementia wander away from home each year.

We were fortunate and Jim was always found quickly by either family, friends, neighbors, and during the mall disappearance, security guards. I was young enough to go searching for Jim, but not every vulnerable adult has a caregiver who can look for them. A system needs to be put in place, nationwide, that will activate an immediate search for vulnerable adults with a goal to provide safe return to their homes.

Copyright (c) September 2013 by L.S. Fisher

Http://earlyonset.blogspot.com

sources:

www.alz.org

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/26/wandering-alzheimers-_n_3653267.html

Walk to End Alzheimer’s 2013

We had a bright sunshiny, warm day for our 2013 Walk to End Alzheimer’s at the Missouri State Fairgrounds Saturday morning. I was there bright and early—6:30 a.m—along with other volunteers and members of the committee. Sheila and I played traffic cops as we directed placement of tables, conferring as to whether that table might work better here or there.

For once we didn’t have to worry about rain, but heat was a concern with temps expected to soar into the upper 90’s. At the last minute, while a volunteer was on his way to get more ice, we asked him to buy more water too. Walkers began to arrive and organized chaos took over as teams began to group together.

My sister-in-law, Ginger, started the cake walk, Kim and Bobby Brown manned the raffle table (which may have helped them rest up for awhile after bringing a trailer load of tables and chairs), Sheila grabbed the microphone and began to make announcements, registration tables were manned, and on my table, I arranged books to sign and give to walkers.

As I signed, I chatted with friends and family who came up to get a copy of Focus on the Positive. I also met new friends who came to the walk for the first time this year. As I was signing, a woman walked up wearing a shirt that said “Hellen’s Heroes.” I knew she was on the team honoring Hellen Cook, the woman with dementia whose body was found after nearly a month long search. Hellen was Darolyn’s mother, and she introduced me to her brother Mike. My heart went out to this family who lived through a caregiver’s worse nightmare. They have taken this tragedy and turned it into a positive by proposing “Hellen’s Law” to tighten up reporting an endangered missing person. I had my picture taken with member’s of Hellen’s Heroes and felt an instant connection with Darolyn.

Later as I was signing books, Linda Newkirk, executive director of the Greater Missouri Chapter, was explaining the significance of the pinwheel flowers and Jim’s Team held our purple flowers high to show that we had lost a loved one. Others held up orange, blue, and yellow flowers as their colors were explained. Shortly after, Sheila came to my table and told me I needed to go up to the front where Linda was speaking.

She finally dragged me away. When I got there, Linda was talking about Hellen Cook’s family and their advocacy. Then,Linda Newkirk, Executive Director of the Greater Missouri Chapter, announced that the chapter is placing a brick in their Garden of Hope in recognition of my volunteer work and advocacy. I am so honored! Even after all these years, I still feel the Chapter did more for me than I can ever do for them. They were my lifeline for ten years while Jim and I traveled the Alzheimer’s journey.

Sheila, my granddaughter, and I dropped our pinwheels into a bucket and took the lead as four hundred walkers began the walk. Instead of finishing the walk, we stopped and cheered others on as they came down the shaded walkway. We headed back to the Highway Gardens. Volunteers were planting the pinwheel flowers in the Promise Garden. The breeze turned the pinwheels and tears pricked my eyes to see the expressions of love.

I walked through the Promise Garden snapping photos and found the flower I had decorated for Jim. The breeze continued to turn the pinwheels nearby, but it was as if Jim’s flower stopped to pose for the photo. I snapped the photo, and the pinwheel resumed spinning.

Copyright (c) September 2013 by L.S. Fisher

http://earlyonset.blogspot.com

Why I Walk to End Alzheimer's

Jim Fisher

Jim is the reason I walk in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

I think I loved him from the first day we met when his Uncle Orvie introduced us outside the Dew Drop Inn in Stover. It was by chance that Jim was in Missouri since he spent a lot of his growing up years in Oregon, Idaho, Utah, California... Jim loved to travel and we often went to Oregon to visit his relatives and childhood places. Later, we went to Estes Park and the Rocky Mountains annually.

Jim was a talented musician who loved to play his Fender guitar and sing country songs. I remember one time I taped him with our gigantic video camera singing “Colorado” while chipmunks and tourists stopped everything to just soak up the sunshine, clear mountain air and melody. Jim’s life was cut short when he developed dementia at forty-nine. He passed away in 2005 after ten years living with a disease that robbed him of his talents, sense of humor, and thoughtful conversation.

Jim lives in my memory and dreams, and I know that he is not forgotten by his family and friends. We need to stop this disease before more families go through the loss and pain of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia. Walks are held across the country. If you can’t come to the September 7 Sedalia Walk. Join a walk near your hometown. Walk for Jim. Walk for your loved ones. Walk for more than 5 million Americans with this incurable progressive disease.

copyright (c) September 2013 by L.S. Fisher

http://earlyonset.blogspot.com

Turn Up the Heat

Linda at Walmart

A group of four volunteers sat outside Walmart Saturday morning with forget-me-nots and Walk to End Alzheimer’s information. This has been an annual event for the past several years. When Sheila and I first set up, it seemed that no one was going to make eye contact and our “Good morning” greetings often when unanswered. I couldn’t help but think that this was going to be a waste of time.

We arrived early—eight thirty—in hopes of beating the heat. We’ve gone through the entire summer with unusually cool weather, and here we were outside on a day when the thermometer was predicted to zoom into the nineties.

After thirty minutes, flies began to buzz and the sun barreled down on the spot where we had set up our table. “Do we dare move it any closer?” I asked eyeballing the small spot of shade between the soda machine and the trashcan. “We don’t want to be so close that the door stays open.”

We left our table where it was and moved into the small spot of shade. Then, people began to stop and ask about the Walk and about Alzheimer’s. The morning had started getting interesting. They placed donations into our collection jar and we had them write names on the forget-me-nots. Sometimes they wrote a loved one’s name. Other times, they wrote their own name. I handed the marker to a little boy and he signed with scribbles.

“How old is he?” I asked.

“He’s four. His name is Cash.”

I smiled. It never occurred to me that he was too young to write, and of course, he would have a distinctive name. Most kids do now-a-days.

Sheila with Forget-Me-Nots

“Sheila, with all the nice weather we’ve had this summer, why did we pick the hottest day to schedule this?”

“Well, we didn’t know it was going to be this hot,” she pointed out. I used a forget-me-not for a fan and she used a flyer.

From time to time, we saw people we knew, but most passersby were strangers to us. Most had the story of loss that paves the path of the Alzheimer’s journey.

Our donation jar filled up with dollars, fives, tens, and one twenty. The forget-me-not skirt around our table grew in length.

We handed out team packets and donor envelopes. People just walked past and stuffed in dollars. Their voices murmured, “Mom,” “grandpa,” “husband,” “friend...”

One woman wrote a name on a flower and said, “My mom won’t go see the doctor, but we’re pretty sure she has Alzheimer’s.”

I handed her a brochure. “Call the number on the bottom. They will help you even though you don’t have a diagnosis. Encourage your mom to get a medical workup to find out whether she does have Alzheimer’s. Other conditions can cause dementia symptoms and some are reversible.”

“Thank you so much!” she said. “I never thought of that.”

Then, the highlight of my day—a woman named Betty told us about a new Alzheimer’s Support Group. Our group had dwindled, and we stopped having regular meetings. People call me from time to time about support group and I refer them to the chapter and offer to meet with them. Now, a woman stood in front of me telling me that she was going to have the required training to be a support group facilitator. I wrote down the information.

“An Alzheimer’s article is coming out in The Democrat,” I said. “She wants some information for a side-bar and this is so timely.”

Shortly after meeting Betty, Wyann brought the forget-me-nots and donations they had collected at the other entrance. Soon, Jessica and Samantha brought over the money they had collected at Big Lots. She also brought the yummy looking cupcakes she had left over.

It felt like mother nature had turned up the heat, and although we had rearranged our table to be in the shade, we were sweltering.

“Well, now we need to stay until all the cupcakes are gone,” Sheila said.

“I’m game,” I replied, “but I’m tired of drinking hot water. I’ll go to McDonald’s and get us some iced tea.”

Two hours later, the iced tea was almost gone, and the last two cupcakes went to a woman who had four kids. “They can share,” she said.

As we packed up and folded the table, Sheila said, “You know, it was hot, but it was fun.”

“It was! I feel good about it,” I said. “I’m so excited about the Walk!” I took my things to my car and headed back to the store to get the items on my shopping list.

As I neared the entrance, a man holding two shopping bags said, “Whew, it’s getting hot out here, isn’t it?”

“It sure is,” I agreed just as I felt a blast of cold air from the open door. The heat is on in Missouri, but that isn’t going to stop us from doing what we can about Alzheimer’s.

Copyright (c) August 2013 by L.S. Fisher

http://earlyonset.blogspot.com

Those Days Have Come and Gone

Maybe it was because my grandkids went home and the house was too quiet. Maybe it was just the thought of growing older and retiring. Whatever caused it, I had dreams of my brother Donnie, of Jim, and days long gone by. We were all younger in my dreams. As I awakened from a deep sleep the words echoed through my head, “Those days have come and gone.”

It’s hard to understand the world of dreams. Sometimes they inspire me to write short stories or provide a scene for my novel in progress. This time, the dreams weren’t so important, or unusual, it was the truism that stood out from my night’s sleep.

The past is a part of me that lingers in my mind just to be awakened in my alternate life—dreamland. Dreams can seem so real at the time. It made me think of Poe’s “A Dream Within a Dream.” Reality blurs with dreams, and it is possible to cling to the past of a “surf-tormented shore” while we watch the sands of our lives slip through our hands.

Unlike Poe, I choose to not weep and fall into despair over the days that have come and gone. Yes, at times, it is more challenging to put the past aside than others. Keeping busy, working toward goals, feeling a sense of accomplishment are tools to push away the dark sadness of another time gone forever, another place that no longer exists.

Yet, the very busyness that helps keep the past from tormenting, can also cause regret. Sometimes, I have to choose between obligations and inclinations. If I’m not careful, I find myself having regrets that I let work interfere with family time. But if I’m realistic, which I am most of the time, I realize that work has been a beneficial part of my life in more than a financial sense. When Jim was in need of constant care, I needed work as a diversion from the overwhelming job of caregiving.

Being around my grandkids this week reminded me of when my kids were young. Instead of just grabbing something, anything, to eat, I needed to think about meal planning, like when my sons were small. Even going to the state fair took on a retro atmosphere. It had been years since I stood on the Midway while the kids ran from one carnival ride to another. I’m older, slower, and somewhat wiser now. I wore comfortable shoes and used the umbrella I carried to shade me from the sun.

It was a week that took me back in time, but with changes. Okay, I’ll admit that I’m about a thousand times more indulgent with my grandkids than I was with my children. My XM radio station was on the Disney channel all week. My TV was tuned to cartoons and pre-teen shows. I went to the movies, twice. I drove by Kentucky Fried Chicken and ordered above the sound of the “La la la-la” Smurf happy song. The question of the day became, “Is a Smurf’s butt blue?”

Just like in my dream, the past week of a house filled with laughter, thumps, and bumps from morning to bedtime have come and gone. It took me by surprise how much I missed it the instant the house took on its usual quiet, peaceful atmosphere.

I decided to go work for a few hours to take my mind off it. I pulled my car out of the garage and the radio began to play “Chloe, You’re the One I Want.” I’d heard that song a dozen times in the past few days. I shook my head and twisted the dial pausing on Escape, Praise, 80’s on 8, and finally rested the dial on 60’s on 6. It was obvious that those days had come and gone. I punched the button my granddaughter had set and listened to some here and now music to appreciate the blessing of today and the tomorrows that are mine to enjoy.

Copyright (c) August 2013 by L.S. Fisher

Http://earlyonset.blogspot.com

Update: Hellen Cook's Family Mourns

Sunday, August 11, Hellen Cook's family received word that human remains were discovered near the search area where her scarf and shoes had been found in July.  Pending DNA identification, her family has identified jewelry as belonging to the seventy-two-year-old woman who had Alzheimer's disease. Her husband of fifty years expressed his fear that she had been calling out for him and he couldn't find her. Please remember this family in your prayers.

Wandering is a serious issue. Sixty percent of people with dementia will wander and if not found within twenty-four hours half of them will suffer serious injury or death.

From the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org: The Alzheimer’s Association encourages individuals and families coping with wandering to enroll in MedicAlert + Alzheimer's Association Safe Return®, a nationwide identification program designed to assist in the return of those who wander and become lost.

Families seeking a more technologically advanced and robust program may consider the new Alzheimer’s Association Comfort Zone program. Family members can have knowledge of a person’s location, while individuals with Alzheimer’s can enjoy the emotional security of familiar routines and surroundings.

For more information about Comfort Zone, Medic Alert + Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return or additional tips on coping with wandering and other safety issues related to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, visit www.alz.org/safetycenter or call the Association’s 24/7 Helpline at 1.800.272.3900.

Stress and Memory

While browsing through my old health news letters prior to pitching them, I came across an interesting article on stress and memory. The study involved rats and cats. The rats learned their way through a water maze and were doing quite well until they were placed in cages next to cats. Then, the rats forgot everything they had learned about the maze.

Don’t you feel just like a rat trapped in a cage next to your worst enemy some days? If you have the big bad world nipping at your heels, it’s no wonder that your memory might fail you at the most crucial times.

When you consider the strain of being an Alzheimer’s caregiver, it is no wonder that memory is not just a concern for the person with the disease. Each stage of caregiving involves both emotional and physical stressors according to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2013 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures (p.33). Research shows that caregiver’s who are responsible for a person with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia report higher stress levels than caregivers of older adults with other diseases.

In the United States, 15.4 million family or unpaid caregivers provide $17.5 billion worth of care to their loved ones with dementia. Family caregivers provide an average of nine hours care per day.

Sixty-one percent rated emotional stress as very high and another thirty-nine percent rated the level as somewhat high. When the stress levels are broken down further, fifty-six percent report “a good amount” of strain due to financial issues and another fifty-three percent cite family relationships.

The role of the primary caregiver intensifies as the disease progresses and creates health issues for the caregiver. Stress suppresses the immune system leaving caregivers vulnerable to physical problems. Caregivers who feel they obligated to take on the role of caregiver report the highest levels of stress.

In addition to the stress and strain of being a dementia caregiver, you may have a little niggling thought that perhaps your memory isn’t what it should be. You know firsthand what a devastating disease Alzheimer’s is and with your responsibilities, you can’t possibly give up or give in to the doubts plaguing you about your own memory problems.

I think the only thing that really kept me from believing I was developing dementia on my own was the knowledge that dementia affects so much more than memory. It chips away at long-term skills, not just those recently learned. Yes, short term memory is the first symptom, but when you consider the effect stress has on memory, stress is a more likely scenario than dementia.

An important characteristic for a caregiver is optimism. With Alzheimer’s, your positive hopes for a cure are dashed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do countless acts that will increase the quality of life for your loved one. Continue to do as much as you can together for as long as possible. Those days spent on drives, picnics in the park, walking hand-in-hand on a nice spring day will not only relieve the stress of caregiving, but also will remain in your heart. 

Perhaps, like me, you have already noticed stress affects your ability to recall information. Before you get too stressed out about your memory, think about rats and cats. The best antidote for stress is relaxation. Anything you can do to help lower your stress levels will improve your memory. Quiet time is so important and time away, respite, can be a lifesaver for a caregiver. You are not being selfish by needing that time. When you improve your physical or emotional health, you become a better caregiver. Your own health is one of the best gifts you can give your loved one.

Copyright (c) August 2013 by L.S. Fisher

htttp://earlyonset.blogspot.com

Healthy You--Healthy Me

I recently read a featured article in our local paper about people who had joined a program called Healthy U. Candidates are selected for the program and they learn life-changing strategies to help them lose weight and then maintain that weight loss. One woman said her only hesitation was that her “before” weight would be published in the paper.

Now, we all know women when it comes to weight. You can’t shave a few pounds off the total when you have a public weigh-in. And you don’t have that advantage of weighing in the privacy of your home when you first wake up—before coffee, breakfast, and anything else that seems to make you weigh an extra five pounds. Who ever thought clothing could be so darned heavy!

The Healthy U candidate I admired the most was the lady that hadn’t lost any weight at all. In fact, she had gained a few pounds. She had the courage to see the positives in the program. She was healthier and had much more stamina. She looked beyond the tattle-tale scale and saw that she had “gained” health, not weight.

When we think about the things in life that are really important, good health will top that list almost every time. What would it matter if you had accumulated wealth, power, fortune, or fame but did not have good health? We all know people who deal with chronic illness on a daily basis. Then, we have all seen courage and faith improve quality of life for our loved ones who have terminal illnesses.

Anyone that struggles with a health problem that can be controlled through health and exercise knows that true lifestyle changes require more than good intensions. It requires persistence, diligence, and a serious commitment. I should know. After all I’m the queen of failed diets and abandoned exercise plans.

I’ve always been blessed with good health. At least that’s how I think of my health since I’m seldom sick. As I’ve gotten older, I started to find out about all those hidden health markers that undermine my complacency about health. It’s not just the number on the scales that keeps creeping upward—it’s those pesky lipid panel numbers. Just about the time I think I have one of them licked, a different one sets off the “High” alarm.

Now, I’m working with my new best friend, the dietician. I have a time limit to get the numbers under control or I have to add a new medication to my pill organizer.

I have to admit that it feels good to lose a few pounds, and I don’t consider this new approach a diet. It’s more of a challenge to make smarter choices. I looked through the list of foods I have to choose from and a funny thing happened. I never saw a single cake, cookie, pie, or donut on there. So, at the dinner meeting last week, dinner was healthy—tilapia—but dessert was cobbler and ice cream. At my request, they served me fresh strawberries and cantaloupe. Since I love both, I enjoyed my dessert.

One of the things I really like about this approach is the dietician asked me what foods I really liked, and she made suggestions for snacks that fell into my favorite foods. When I told her about my weakness for miniature chocolate bars, she said I could have two of them for a snack occasionally.

I’m sure I’ll fall off the wagon and have a dessert once in a while, but this is really important to me. As I gear up for retirement, good health is at the top of the list. If it takes a little behavior modification on my part, the rewards far outweigh the sacrifices.

Copyright © August 2013 by L.S. Fisher

www.earlyonset.blogspot.com